Think Mark Jackson is destined to occupy an assistant-coach’s chair the moment after he retires? Think again.

Jackson plans on sitting directly on the hot seat.

“I would like to go straight into being a head coach,” Jackson said yesterday following the Knicks’ shootaround prior to last night’s game against the Hornets.

“When that day comes I’ll be ready for it. No sense in learning from a head coach as an assistant. Playing under the great coaches I’ve played under, I did what I would do as an assistant anyway, so it would be, not a waste, but it’s not an ideal situation for me.”

As the end of the season approaches – thankfully – for the Knicks, it could be the end of the line is nearing for Jackson.

He turned 37 on Monday, is completing his 15th NBA season and certainly has not made this second go-round with the Knicks a memorable experience.

His hometown team re-acquired him from Toronto to provide veteran leadership for last year’s playoff push, but the Knicks were bounced by the Raptors in the first round. This season, the Knicks will miss the postseason for the first time since the 1986-87 season, after which they used their first-round draft pick on Jackson, a point guard from St. John’s who went on to win Rookie of the Year honors.

He’s got two more years remaining on his contact and he’d like to finish that up, because he believes he can still play. The Knicks might feel otherwise. Jackson, always durable, has not missed a game (he’s averaging 8.2 points and a team-high 7.3 assists) but does not come close to making the impact in a game that he once did.

“A lot of guys get caught up in ego and they fool themselves – you think about the great boxers,” Jackson said. “I’m a guy that when it’s over I’ll walk away and be unbelievably thankful I was able to hang around this long. It’s been a great run, and when it’s time to say ‘Goodnight, God bless you and thank you very much’ I’ll be the first to do it.”

When he does, coaching awaits. Jackson says he’s always wanted to be a coach, and it’s difficult to imagine he won’t get a shot. Asked what sort of preparation he thinks he’ll need, Jackson quickly said “None.” Of course, he’s always been a confident fellow.

“I’ve been coaching all my life,” he explained. “I don’t think I need it at all. I played for some of the best guys to ever coach this game, a bunch of Hall of Famers, and I’ve stolen from them, the same way I’ve stolen from the great point guards in the past. Why not install some of the things I’ve taken from them? I’ll put in my P-Diddy remix on it, of course.”

His current coach, Don Chaney, played 12 seasons in the NBA and never thought he’d get into coaching. He views Jackson as a solid candidate, as long as he understands the tremendous workload that comes with the job.

“A lot of times as a player you have no idea what coaching’s all about, in terms of what’s involved,” Chaney said. “It’s not just showing up and working the games. You’re talking about all day long, and as a player you’re used to three hours of your time. I think if his interest lies in coaching he could be a good coach, because he understands the game.”

Jackson insists he already has a plan, but he doesn’t want to unveil it until he’s done playing.

“You look at a guy like [Magic coach] Doc Rivers and the job he’s doing, what you do is surround yourself with quality guys,” Jackson said. “Don’t act like you know everything, and the transition will be that much easier. I look forward to that day, but I hope you guys aren’t trying to push me out the door, because I really don’t believe that day is right now.”